The Florida State running back has never made a collegiate start on offense, and still, he is garnering hype for some of the most prestigious awards in college football.

In fact, Williams has just five career carries that have come during the first quarter.

Yet, odds released by Brovada Online Sportsbook earlier this week have the Seminoles' tailback (33/1) among the top-16 favorites – led by FSU star quarterback Jameis Winston – to win the 2014 Heisman Trophy.

The senior is also one of 76 players on the Maxwell Award watch list, which honors the top player in college football.

However, as the Seminoles are just two days away from putting full pads on for the first time during fall camp, coach Jimbo Fisher is more curious to see how his No. 1 option at tailback develops in his new role.

"Karlos is still learning a new position," the fifth-year head coach said. "It's all part of the growing process for him."

At this point last year the 6-foot-1, 225-pound physical specimen was out to prove that he could shine as a starting strong safety in Florida State's new defense that was – and still is – stockpiled with future NFL defensive backs.

It wasn't until after the Seminoles' first game of their undefeated national championship season that Williams made the move to offense, where he was a backup behind former FSU running backs Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr.

"I came in the spring as the head guy and definitely had to learn a lot," the former five-star safety recruit said. "Being the upperclassman it seems like pressure, but it's more of a responsibility being a leader, and it's my time to be a leader."

Even though Williams has only played 13 games in the Seminoles' offensive backfield, he is the most experienced player that the reigning national champions return at running back.

He is also the biggest, and one of the fastest, at the position where FSU has some of the fastest players on its roster.

Behind the converted safety is freshmen Dalvin Cook and Johnathan Vickers, as well as sophomores Mario Pender and Ryan Green. Green, who rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries last season, is the only player of the bunch that has seen the field for the Seminoles.

Getting the majority of his carries late in games, Williams finished the 2013 season as FSU's second-leading rusher with 748 yards and 11 touchdowns on 91 carries.

On his first collegiate carry, the Davenport Ridge Community product took a third-quarter toss sweep and shot through a hole on the right side for a 65-yard touchdown.

It is that game-changing potential that has Fisher, and odds makers, excited to see how Williams develops this fall atop the depth chart.

One thing the head coach, the one that had wanted to use the highly-touted safety on offense when he first arrived in Tallahassee, already knows is how well Williams works with his younger, less-experienced teammates.

"Karlos is a natural leader," said Fisher, who is the play-caller for the Seminoles. "It's natural for people to follow him. He likes to help folks.

With so much responsibility and hype, Williams spent much of his offseason in the film room trying to master Fisher's offense, guide his teammates and improve his fundamentals.

"Footwork was a big thing for me," the senior said.

"Footwork basically starts the play – zone, stretch, anything, it definitely starts the play. So it definitely puts you in the right place at the right time to have the ball, your reads are right, so that's a big thing I did this summer.